Yogi Schulz

The rejection of major development projects is producing economic harm for all Canadians and undermining the reputation of Canada as an attractive place to invest. Many Canadians appear to be oblivious to the personal and national harm caused by the rejections and protracted delays that have become a feature of our regulatory process and associated political second-guessing. Sadly rejection and protracted delays inflict real, not abstract or theoretical, consequences including higher … [Read more...]

The Alberta NDP government power purchase arrangements (PPA) lawsuit will affect most of the Alberta energy industry even though only the holders of coal-fired PPAs are directly embroiled in the PPA mess. Through the lawsuit, the government is seeking to remove a key phrase “more unprofitable” from the PPAs by deeming it unlawful.
Most of the coverage of the PPA debacle has focused on the:
Holders of coal-fired PPAs who may be asked to choke down losses in the range of $600 million to … [Read more...]

Canada has missed the recent opportunity for Asian LNG export sales. Delays in Canadian regulatory and government approvals for major LNG development projects are producing real adverse consequences for all Canadians including:
Lower investment in Canada leading to reduced economic growth.
Lower tax revenue leading to reduced public services and higher public debt.
Lower employment/higher unemployment.
Recently LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz said in a conference call that a drop in … [Read more...]

It does not take much to put a pipeline carrying oil or gas into the negative spotlight. Several days ago, Husky Energy experienced an oil spill on the North Saskatchewan River. This spill is now affecting the water supply at various downstream communities that are having to scramble to arrange alternative water sources.
As many anti-pipeline protesters will immediately latch onto this incident to use as fodder for their own agenda, the big picture context is lost. Canadian pipeline licensees … [Read more...]

The astonishing opposition to pipelines in Canada is not really about opposition to pipelines. To advance various other agendas, the opponents have successfully hijacked the incredibly drawn-out and technically competent pipeline review process. The excellent and thorough NEB approval process is being ridiculed without any factual basis or simply shrugged off as irrelevant by opponents.
Sadly too few politicians are speaking out against some of the ridiculous arguments being advanced by … [Read more...]

The brand new panel has begun to seek community comment about the proposed expansion of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Pipelines. The panel was formed by the Federal Government in May 206 in response to the loud opposition when the NEB recommended approval of the expansion.
The members of the panel are:
Kim Baird, the chairwoman. She is a former elected chief of B.C.'s Tsawwassen First Nation who now runs her own consulting firm specializing in indigenous policy, governance and … [Read more...]

World demand for oil and gas will continue to increase during the next 20 years even while the use of renewable energy increases dramatically during the same period. Those who are pushing mankind to take dramatic steps to reduce the use of fossil fuels more rapidly and accelerate the use of renewables more rapidly should read the recently released 2016 edition of the BP Energy Outlook for a reality check.
While this demand forecast is good news for our beleaguered Canadian oil and gas … [Read more...]

Whenever Alberta experiences the stresses and strains associated with a downturn in the oil & gas sector, many beat up our government for not diversifying the Alberta economy faster. We forget that we’ve been making steady diversification progress.
When diversifying the Alberta economy, slow and steady wins the race. By contrast the big, flashy government investments that I described in my last article were a bust for taxpayers and for economic diversification.
The main problem is that … [Read more...]

Whenever Alberta experiences the stresses and strains associated with a downturn in the oil & gas sector, many beat up our government for not diversifying the Alberta economy faster. We forget that we’ve been making steady diversification progress as illustrated by the graphs above that are taken from Highlights of the Alberta Economy 2015.
When diversifying the Alberta economy, slow and steady wins the race. By contrast big and flashy government investments have been a consistent bust … [Read more...]

Alberta’s NDP government aims to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gases from coal-fired generating stations by 2030. the government plans to do this by developing replacement electricity from natural-gas-fired generating stations and from renewable energy sources.
How much of a financial burden could the early phase-out of coal inflict on cost-conscious Alberta industry and consumers? While no consensus exists given the wide range of cost estimates for decommissioning coal-fired generating … [Read more...]